Can't export my codespace

[notinvisible-dev]

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I have a GitHub codespace, and they never mentioned I would run out of credits (with this I mean I never got notified or told I would). Sadly, it did shut down, and I need the files in the codespace back as soon as possible, otherwise there are people that will be very mad at me. Is there any way to export the files? I really, really need them.

[Laalu7]

Go to GitHub Codespaces page → try Resume/Restart
If blocked → add credits/payment → reopen it
Once open → immediately download files or push to repo
If you can’t open it → contact GitHub Support ASAP

👉 If it’s only stopped → data is usually recoverable
👉 If deleted → recovery is unlikely

[Gecko51]

First check if the codespace is stopped vs. deleted. Go to github.com/codespaces and see if it still shows up in the list. If it does with a "Stopped" status, your files are still there.

The fastest way to get files out without worrying about credits: click the three dots (...) next to the codespace and look for "Export to a branch". This creates a branch in the connected repo with all your uncommitted changes, no need to fully restart the codespace. Once the branch is there, you can download a zip from GitHub or clone it locally.

If that option isn't showing, the other path is to add billing at github.com/settings/billing and restart the codespace, then immediately push your work to a branch or download what you need.

Stopped codespaces are kept for 30 days before GitHub auto-deletes them, so you have time, but don't wait too long.

[kavitha-047]

In most cases your data is still recoverable.

If your codespace is in a “Stopped” state, your files are usually retained for up to 30 days.

The fastest options would be:

• check if you can use “Export to a branch” (this preserves your changes without fully restarting)
• if not available, add billing and restart the codespace, then immediately push/download your files

Also, if the codespace doesn’t appear anymore, it may have been deleted — in that case, contacting GitHub Support as soon as possible is your best option.